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28 September 2017

There's no doubt that exercising is beneficial for leading long lasting lives in humans. Countless studies have been done and the fact is that maintaining a well balanced diet with exercise is crucial for living long and healthy lives. The same goes for your pets. My dogs are seniors and I have had both of them since they were eight weeks old. They are now both older than a decade which is sometimes unheard of in dog years. From the time that I decided to embark of a long term goal of becoming a dog owner, I made a promise to myself and to my dogs that I would provide the best care for them so I could provide a life of joy for each of my two dogs. For everyone that meets my two little dogs, no one believes how old they are. They are vibrant, active, trim, healthy and full of love. Make no mistake that this was through years of educating myself in what my dogs needed, wanted, and what served them best in order to live long lives.

You see, as many of you can relate, dogs enrich our lives. Studies show that actually owning a dog lowers blood pressure and adds years to the owner's life. It's only natural that I want to have my dogs alive for as long as possible, for the gift that any pet brings us, is well, priceless.

I recently heard about a new company called, Run Buddy Mobile, and I really loved their concept. They are not paying me to do this review, nor am I getting and free rides with them, I just simply wanted to showcase them on my blog because of what the company stands for and for what my blog stands for.

Pet owners usually lead very busy lives, I know I for sure do. The reason I even have a second dog was to keep the other one company. I felt an incredible amount of guilt working 8-10 hours daily and being away from my fur kid. I feel a little at ease knowing that they have each other to play with. I'm also at more ease because I have a Furbo dog cam where I constantly check on them during the day and feed them treats. That has resulted in a small bit of weigh gain, which leads me to my next point. Dogs are living breathing beings and they require movement and exercise just like anyone! Can you imagine being stuck home all day with nothing to do, no where to walk or run do? I'm sure some of you would be like, that sounds amazing to sit on the couch all day, but let's be honest, we all love being active!

Serious problems can occur with lack of exercise. Run Buddy Mobile explains that:

Dogs can be like young children. If you don’t give them something constructive to do with their energy, they’ll find something to do on their own-and you may not like it!

Destructive chewing, digging or scratching

Investigative behaviors, like garbage raiding

Hyperactivity, excitability and night-time activity

Unruliness, knocking over furniture and jumping up on people

Excessive predatory and social play

Play biting and rough play

Attention-getting behaviors like barking and whining

Most of us are so tired from our own workday that the last thing we want to do is rush home and take the dog out for a daily run. Here's where Run Buddy Mobile comes in! They are a canine exercise service brought to your doorstep. Your dog simply steps inside their climate controlled mobile unit to experience the happiest thirty minutes of their day. Each mobile K-9 fitness unit is fitted with state-of-the-art equipment to accommodate any size and breed with the utmost safety and comfort. You can cheer your dog along the way or feel free to let our friendly professionals do the work for you.

The benefit of exercise and play for your dog are many, but here are a few listed on RunBuddy Mobile's website:

Reduce or eliminate the common behavior problems listed above, such as digging, excessive barking, chewing and hyperactivity

Keeps dogs healthy, agile and limber

Reduces digestive problems and constipation

Helps timid or fearful dogs build confidence and trust

Dogs feel sleepy, rather than restless, at bedtime or when you’re relaxing

Keep dogs’ weight under control

This passed weekend, my apartment complex was having a Pet Palooza Social for all residents and their four legged family members. RunBuddy Mobile was on site, and I captured the moments on camera! I want to mention that I was SUPER surprised that my two senior yorkies enjoyed this, I was skeptical because of their age, but sure enough they had a BLAST and were pooped! Please enjoy

below!

☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️ Actual footage of Jolie after one session with Run Buddy Mobile ☝️☝️☝️☝️☝️

13 July 2017

Chewy is so excited to announce the NEW Chewy Exclusive Human-Grade Dog Food, Tylee’s. These formulas are made with human-grade ingredients just like you’d find at the grocery store—real, whole foods you can see and identify. To prepare this nutritiously delicious food, simply defrost it and serve it. Each recipe is grain-free and has only one source of protein, so it’s perfect for pets with sensitive tummies or allergies. This food can be served as both a complete meal or as a topper to go along with your pup’s diet.

Bebe and Jolie were lucky enough to be selected for a 30-day challenge with Chewy’s exclusive Human-Grade Dog Food, Tylee’s. I was interested in participating because I have never heard of a raw food diet for dogs. My dogs are senior pups with pancreatitis and are missing 70% of their teeth, so I take special care and concern when selecting food. I have to make sure that they can eat it comfortably without harming their gums and I also need to make sure that the fat and protein ratio is correct. I try to stay under 12% of fat and over 20% on the protein portion. We received the Turkey sample which was 13.5% fat and 14% protein.

My first thoughts on the product was that it was a cool concept. The food arrived in a box with dry ice in it, so the unboxing was fun and at the same time a little scary. I’ve never really handled dry ice before. I placed the item in the freezer and waited for my dogs’ current food to end its course.

I was instructed to take out the food and thaw what I needed for the week, however because I have two dogs I just placed the whole bag in the fridge and let it defrost over the course of two days. When serving the dogs the food, they went nuts. They barked at me and begged, which they normally do not do, nor is it allowed! I didn’t notice a strong odor from the food but clearly, they could pick it up.

I was nervous about giving my dog food that is wet, I like them on dry dog food diets as I have found that their stools are firmer and smell less foul on a grain free dry kibble diet.

With ingredients like these it was fairly safe to say my dogs were eating a better-balanced diet than their human!

Here is what the food looks like, it was a bonus that it was super soft and easy for them to swallow given the fact that most of their teeth are missing.

Over the next week I fed them about 3/4 cup of food a day. They inhaled their food very quickly and this went on until the food was finished. I did notice that I had to feed them more than once a day on this diet. I think it’s because when I have their dry kibble out they eat it throughout the day and that probably accounts for sustained energy. With this food, they seemed to be hungry all the time.

I didn’t notice any changes in their skin, they didn’t break out or itch which is good. I did notice that their hair was smoother and glossier. I only note this because I bathe my dogs in a self-wash station every 5-7 days and the conditioner that I always use had burst in the bag, so I skipped the conditioner and I noticed that their hair was softer and smoother than usual, I blame the food as it’s literally the only change in their routine life.

Their stools weren’t as firm as when on dry kibble which I didn’t mind but I did notice they were pooping a little more frequently. This didn’t bother me either, makes me wonder if they were perhaps backed up more on the kibble dry food diet.

My final thoughts on this product was that I really did enjoy it. I haven’t seen my dogs go so crazy for a food unless I’m holding up cheese or bacon and I can’t and don’t’ feed them scraps. It’s bad for them at their age. I was concerned with having to feed them more than once a day, as they were always seeming to be hungry on this food.

I would like to give the other flavors a try, perhaps something with a higher calorie and protein content.

Disclaimer: This food was provided to us by Chewy for an honest review.

30 March 2017

Last year right around Easter I was perusing my Facebook wall and came across an ad about backing a project on Indiegogo. This caused me to stop dead in my tracks. I couldn't pull out my credit card fast enough. A dog camera that would allow you to see, talk, hear, and throw treats at your furbaby, say what?! I needed proof so I played back a cute video on how this Furbo dog cam would allow me to check in on my dogs throughout the day and talk to them via the two way microphone. I could take photos of them, record cute things that they were doing and best yet click a button to dispense treats.

Yup, it was true, where's the credit card?

I backed this project in April 2016 and received my camera four months later. I've never been so excited to open a package before.

For almost a year no I've had entirely too much fun showing my friends my dogs using my Furbo phone app versus showing them photos of my dogs on my phone.

Sometimes I will be stuck in traffic, and will play music for them while I'm on my way home. I know that sounds crazy, but who really isn't crazy about their furkids?

Having the Furbo dog camera has given me such peace of mind. There is a barking alert which I really quite enjoy, it lets me know when maintenance is in my apartment and when the UPS man is knocking on my door while I'm away.

The Furbo dog cam also allows me to log into it during times where I've needed to hire a dog sitter, I can see how my dogs are being treated and if the sitter is in fact there for 30 minutes of the paid time or just for 5 minutes.

I don't think I've loved a product I've purchased as much as I love this one. It's great to be able to check on my dogs with the click of a button from anywhere in the world.

With this product I have also been able to uncover who knocks over the trash can, to my surprise I've been wrong for the past decade! It was my 4lb dog instead of my 10lb dog. Here I was for years putting the wrong one in time out. Since Furbo, I've moved the trash can into a closed closet and my dogs have had more daily treats and random 80's afternoon jam sessions than ever before.

The treats that I have found to best work with the Furbo dog cam are these, they are small and perfectly dispensed through the camera, they are also low calorie which you'll soon find out that is a plus because you will notice an increase of treat giving once you get this camera!